Fractal Audio AMP models: Citrus RV50 (Orange Rockerverb 50 MK II)

yek

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* EDIT: Up-to-date information is available in Yek's Guide to the Fractal Audio Amplifier Models *
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Citrus RV50: based on Orange Rockerverb MK II

The English company Orange has been around since 1968. More company background. You can’t miss the bright orange amps on stage, and they are found on many stages.

The Rockerverb is an EL34-driven tube amp with a clean channel and a dirty channel, and a single input. It was introduced in 2003. The MK II model was introduced in 2010. Slipknot’s Jim Root is a well-known Rockerverb user. The modeled amp is the 50 watts version.

People often think that a 50 watts amp is half as loud as the 100 watts version. But that’s not the case. The difference often is just a few decibels.​

Orange:

“All Valve, channel-switching amplifier with ultra-transparent effects loop and valve-driven reverb. This amplifier utilises a two stage clean channel with a four stage dirty channel.

The Clean Channel delivers a super rich clean tone with beautiful harmonic overtones. It is a non-master channel, much like vintage Orange amps, and when cranked the power section breaks up faster, delivering the most classic British crunch imaginable.

The Dirty Channel is four stages of unadulterated filth, but it is NOT a one-trick pony. Move the Gain knob from 0 to 10, and as you do you’ll find a variety of Orange tones, from metal to fusion, rock to blues…there’s even some country in there.​

All 50 watt Rockerverb Mark II amps offer switchable output valves. This means you can swap the factory fitted EL34 output valves to 6L6s, KT88s, or 6550s. Just make sure you take your amp to a tech for rebiasing!”​

By the way, here's what Orange write in their manual:

The warmth, tonal quality and rich harmonics generated by a valve amplifier cannot be reproduced by ‘artificial’ means. Many guitarists have reached the same conclusion: neither the transistor nor microchip is a suitable alternative to valve technology.​

:D

Typical for Orange amps are the symbols describing the panel controls, instead of names. The amp has a global Reverb control, and per channel: Treble, Middle, Bass and Gain. The Dirty channel also has a Master. The tone controls also affect the amount of gain, turn them up for more gain.

I'll admit again: as with the AD30, I can't get a tone from this amp model that I really like, until I turn up bass, middle and treble. But I've always been more of an Apple than an Orange man.​

Orange cabs are equipped with V30 speakers. There are several Orange (“Citrus”) stock cabs. I like #126 best.

Cab Pack 14 and Cab Pack 19 contain more Citrus IRs.​

There are a couple of audio clips on this page.



 
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The Orange RV has been one of my favorite Brit rock machines for years. Gorgeous crunch and just the right amount of rawk.
 
Tom Quayle supposedly uses the RV 100 in this review of the JP15 and Artisan Majesty. I really dig the chordal tones he gets in the intro! Would love to re-create this tone with my JP15 and AFX:

 
People often think that a 50 watts amp is half as loud as the 100 watts version. But that’s not the case. The difference often is just a few decibels.

Curious ... isn't that the same thing? -3dB = half the power ...??? 1 watt vs. 2, 4, vs 8, 8 vs 16, etc. up to 50 vs. 100 watts, incrementally doubling the power to get an incremental/additional +3dB in each iteration/doubling of power? (Assuming speaker efficiency remains constant?)

Still digging these posts - this is amp territory I'd never have covered on my own - highly appreciated yek!
 
Curious ... isn't that the same thing? -3dB = half the power ...??? 1 watt vs. 2, 4, vs 8, 8 vs 16, etc. up to 50 vs. 100 watts, incrementally doubling the power to get an incremental/additional +3dB in each iteration/doubling of power? (Assuming speaker efficiency remains constant?)

Still digging these posts - this is amp territory I'd never have covered on my own - highly appreciated yek!
Doubling volume requires 10 times the output and the same goes for the other direction
 
Doubling volume requires 10 times the output and the same goes for the other direction

I think I understand logs, but perhaps the difference here is:

"The relationship between sound amplitude and actual loudness [76]. Loudness is a perceptual dimension while sound amplitude is physical. Since loudness sensitivity is closer to logarithmic than linear in amplitude (especially at moderate to high loudnesses), we typically use decibels to represent sound amplitude, especially in spectral displays." from: https://www.dsprelated.com/freebooks/mdft/Logarithms_Decibels.html
 
This is one of the most interesting amps for me. It's one of the amps I coveted for a time.

For this model, I have to really tame the bass (in amp and cab block), bump mids just a hair, and reduce a bit of the 8 band 250freq (to get rid of the 'mud'.) But it can stick out nicely, and it's a cool squishy tone. Yek is correct (IMO) with cab 126.
 
I've played the real amp and thought it wasn't as open and dynamic as my Orange Rocker 30; after about 12 O'Clock on the Gain it just kind of fell apart and anything after that on the control wasn't really usable (for me) as it was just too much distortion. You can get into the territory of the Rocker 30 with this amp by biasing more towards Class A and using Cathode Bias, and cutting back on the Input Trim. It's on my 'to do' list to do a better match of the Rocker 30 using this amp (or even the Tiny Terror AFX model).
 
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Does anyone have any suggestions for settings on this amp? I'm thinking a metal rhythm tone, something like Jim Root maybe? He supposedly goes straight in to the amp to get his tone.
 
I love the RV50, so far it’s my favourite amp in the FM9. Great classic rock crunch and takes drive pedals well. Very touch responsive and feels great to play.

I also adjust the Input Trim to have a bit less gain.
 
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